Key and can support for removing sealing bands from vacuum cans



Feb., 5,A 1957 l A. c. HERTZFELDT 2,780,387

KEY ANO CAN SUPPORT ROR RRMOVING SRALING BANDS FROM VACUUM cANs Filed Aug. 19, 1954 v 2 sheets-sheen INVENTOR BY (Zhne-v.

ATTORNEYS Feb. 5, 1957 A. c. HERTZFELDT 2,780,387

KEY AND CAN SUPPORT FOR REMOVING SEALING BANDS FROM VACUUM CANS Filed Aug. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent KEY AND CAN SUPPORT FOR REMOVING SEAL- ING BANDS FROM VACUUM CANS Albert C. Hertzfeldt, Winona, Minn.

Application August 19, 1954, Serial No. 450,837

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-52) It is an object of this invention to provide an improved key and can support for removing sealing bands from vacuum cans so that the contents of the can may be readily removed from the can by any conventionally accepted means.

It isanother object of this invention to provide an improved key and can support for removing the sealing bands from vacuum cans of the kind to be moreparticularly described hereinafter which is relatively easy to operate in limited spaces and formed -of a detachable crank handle.

it is a further object of this invention to provide an improved key and can support for removing the sealing bands of vacuum cans wherein the can is rotatable in its support while the sealing band is wound therefrom in place of rotating the key about the periphery of the can while in engagement with the sealing band.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved key and can support for removing the sealing band from a vacuum can whereby the key alone may be easily removed from the can and key support when it is desired to use the key away from the support to remove other bands on other cans or for removal of the wound bands therefrom.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter described and the novel features thereof defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a key and can support for removing sealing bands from a vacuum can constructed according to an embodiment of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view of a partially wound sealing band on the key, with the can partly broken away, taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the key and can support taken on line 4 4 of Figure l.

F Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 6 is an exploded separated side elevation of the key, key crank and support, the key crank being shown in dashed lines.

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of the key separate from its support.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 6.

Heretofore in opening a can as a vacuum can it has been customary to move a key in engagement with a sealing band about the periphery of the can and as such action requires a considerable amount of space around the can for the movement of the key this invention has been conceived with the thought of rotating the can with its sealing strip in contact with a key so that then the sealing strip may be torn from the can. The can engaging key and the can support may be used together for rotating the can with the key in engagement with the band and the key may be removed from the can band and support when and as desired. The key may be separated rwice from the key can suppport for use separate from the can support as on a picnic, journey or the like.

Referring more particularly now to the drawings the numeral 10 designates generally a key and can support constructed according to an embodiment of my invention. A key 11 is rotatablycarried by the support when the key 11 is in contact with the sealing band 12 around the periphery of the can as a vacuum can`14.

Thel key 11 is formed of an outer tube 1S enclosing an inner key shaft 16 both of which when united-as for operation constitute the key 11 to be herein described.

There is a U-shaped key and can holder 17, or bracket, the U-shaped holder having a pair of vertically spaced apart horizontally extending arms 18 connected together at one end of each of the arms by a bight 19.

A pin 20 extends through-the tube 15 and through the shaft 16 adjacent one end thereof for holding the shaft and tube for unitary rotation when the tube or shaft is rotated.

Fingers 21 are extended upwardly and outwardly from the tube 15, the lower ends of the fingers being fixed to, or formed integral with, the upper end of the tube 15. The upper outer ends of the fingers 21 are divergent from the key 11 upwardly and outwardly as clearly shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The fingers 2 1 provide for the rotation of the-key 11 by a person desiring to tear a sealingband 12 from a vacuum can 14. The vacuum can 14 -may contain coffee or other such material which is customarily vacuum Sealed in a can by a sealing band 12.

A disc 22 is fixed to the outer tube 15 peripherally thereof extending outwardly from the tube in the lower surface o-f the disc 22vis bearingly engageable with the upper surface of a can 14 from which a sealing band 12 is to be stripped.

There is provided a boss 24 on the upper surface of vthe disc 22 and a cotter key 25 is engaged through the tube 15 and shaft 16 for holding the tube and shaft together for rotation and also for limiting the downward gravitational sliding movement of the ey 11 in the holder or bracket 17.

A slot 26 is formed in the tube 15 and a slot 27 is formed in the shaft 16 with bothof the slots of the tube and shaft extended longitudinally of the length thereof.

A tab 28 of the sealing band 12 is adapted to be engaged through the slots 26 and 27 of the tube 15 and shaft 16 so that the sealing band 12 may be coiled or wrapped about the key 11 when and as the key is notated in the bracket or holder 17. The tab 28 is adapted to be pinched between the engaging surfaces of the tube 15 and shaft 16 to provide a suitable purchase between the tube and shaft during the use of the key and sealing band can support 10 as described above and to be hereinafter described.

There is provided a hole or opening 29 through the arms 18 adjacent the outer end thereof, remote from the bight 19. The key 11 is suitably rotated when engaged with a sealing band 12 by a crank handle 30 engaging both of the fingers 21 of the device. The crank handle 30 has a transversely extending substantially horizontal channelled transverse arm 31 with a channel 32 extending along the length thereof. The channel 32 is adapted to receive the fingers 21 for sliding movement and upon sliding movement of the channelled transverse arm 31 in and into engagement therewith. A inger handle 3d is fixed to the outer end of the channelled transverse arm 31 extended laterally from the fingers 21.

By the use of the removable crank handle in engagement with the fingers of the key the key may be easily rotated in the aligned holes 29 of the arms 18 and the central Iopening 35 of the boss 24.

A hinge barrel 36 is fixed to or formed integral with the upper surface of the lower arm 18 for hingedly securing a can guide 37 to the holder or bracket 18 as clearly noted in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The guide 37 is provided with horizontally extending slightly outwardly curved guide arms 38 which engage the outer surface of the can 14 adjacent to and below the sealing band l2 so that upon rotation of the key 11 the key may be supported relatively stationary to the can while the can 12 is rotated Within the guide arms 3S in place of moving the key about the periphery of the can as is apparently the present custom of using a key for removing a sealing band from a can.

The key 11 may be easily slid from its engagement with the band 12 after the band has been removed from the can 14 so that ordinarily the bracket or holder 17 would not be necessary for the use of the key 11 as the key 11 may be removed from the key holder and used separate therefrom when and as desired.

The guide arms 38 are divergent outwardly from the bracket or holder I7 and the hinge barrel 36 with the arms 38 being segmentally arcuate in their length for bearing engagement against the outer surface of the can 14.

While the speciiie details of one embodiment of this invention have been herein shown and described, the invention is not confined thereto as changes and alterations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as dened in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination an improved key and key and can holder for removing sealing bands from vacuum cans comprising a U-shaped bracket having its bight disposed vertically for attachment to a fixed support, the laterally extending vertically spaced apart arms on the opposite ends of said bight, being formed with aligned journal key openings therethrough adjacent the ends thereof remote from said bight, a can sealing band opening key extending through said openings and rotatable therein, upwardly extending outwardly divergent key rotating lingers on said key removed from said bracket, said key being provided with a longitudinally extending slot therethrough for receiving an end of a sealing band of a can to be wound about said key upon rotation thereof, an outwardly extending bearing disc fixed on said key intermediate the length thereof rotatably bearing on the upper surface of the upper -of said mms, a pair of horizontally spaced apart outwardly extending laterally and outwardly divergent segmentally arcuate can engaging guide hinged on the lower of said brackets arms intermediate the length thereof between said bight and said key opening therein for engaging a can rotatable therein by the winding of said sealing band on said key.

2. In combination an improved key and key and can holder for removing sealing bands from vacuum cans as dened in claim 1 including a laterally extending crank detachably engaged with said iingers and a crank handle on said crank spaced laterally from and extending longitudinaily of said key.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 555,940 Fellowsv Mar. 10, 1896 1,669,247 Johnson May 8, 1928 1,911,613 Epstein May 30, 1933 2,300,270 Wakefield Oct. 27, 1942 2,601,795 Maxey et al. July 1, 1952 2,675,840 Daiber Apr. 20, 1954 2,680,537 Dzialdowski .Tune 8, 1954 FOREIGN PATENTS 69,462 Switzerland Dec. 21, 1914 850,255 France Sept. 4, 1939 

